This recipe came from the need to use up some vegetables in the fridge in a quick, healthy way. I already had a container of baked tofu, which is worth making once a week if you want an inexpensive protein that can take on the flavor of anything you prefer. This week, I pressed and chopped the tofu, then marinated it in a few tablespoons of soy sauce dissolved with ground ginger, garlic, and a hit of ground black pepper. It sat in the fridge for a few hours, then I baked most of the tofu to store away for snacks and salad toppers. The rest I held back for this stirfry.

Seared Tofu with Vegetable Udon Stir-fry

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 package-  Organic extra firm tofu, pressed, dried and cubed- marinated in soy sauce, ginger and pepper

2 cups of mixed diced vegetables (I used broccoli, carrot, onion, mushrooms and a few bits of cauliflower & red pepper)

1 large egg, lightly whisked

1 bunch of Udon noodles, cooked 2/3 of the cook time (al dente)

Teaspoon duck fat (but sesame oil or your favorite olive oil will do just fine)

Pinch of ground ginger, turmeric, cumin or your favorite Penzey’s Spice. (I used Singapore which has a little heat)

Teaspoon sesame seeds

PREP THE TOFU

Drain and prepare a pack of organic extra firm tofu by wrapping it in a towel and pressing it under a heavy skillet (or stack of cookbooks in my case). Let it sit for at least 30 minutes up to all day. The key is to extract as much water from it as possible.

Remove tofu from the towel and dice into cubes. Place the cubes in your favorite marinade… whatever it is! Today, I put a few tablespoons of soy sauce, garlic powder, black pepper and a touch of cumin into the marinade. No salt required as the soy sauce brings it!

After letting it marinade for up to a few a few hours, toss the tofu on a baking sheet and let it bake for about 30 minutes at 350F. Toss it every 10 minutes to evenly cook. If you want to expedite the process, bake 2/3 of the tofu then stash it away in the fridge for salad toppers. Sear the remaining 1/3 of the tofu in a skillet then set aside to add to the stir fry.

PREP THE VEG

Chop all of your vegetables into even dices. Whatever they are. This is a great way to clean the fridge of vegetables.

2 cups is about right, but add whatever you want. More vegetables, or offset it with some leftover chopped chicken or pork.

COOK & SERVE

I seared the marinated tofu on a cast iron skillet while the veg were cooking down in a separate grill pan. The Udon noodles were mostly cooked and left sitting in the strainer until we add them to the stir fry.

After about 5 minutes cooking the vegetables, begin stirring the whisked egg through the vegetables, scraping off any bits that cook to the bottom of the pan. It shouldn’t look like scrambled eggs, but it will look similar to the egg that comes in fried rice. Toss in the Udon noodles and give it all a good stir. Let it cook for another 5 minutes and serve topped with tofu and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Change up the flavor profile by adding a bit of curry instead of ginger.